Extension handle for toggle switches



Oct. 26, 1954 D. c. PARKE ETAL 2,692,932

EXTENSION HANDLE FOR TOGGLE SWITCHES Filed July 23, 1952 ELI- INVENTORS 00mm 6. PAR/(E Q/CHHRD E 55445,?

Patented Oct. 26, 1954 ATENT OFFICE EXTENSION HANDLE FOR TOGGLE SWITCHES Donald C. Parke and Richard E. Sealer, Denver, 0010.

Application July 23, 1952, Serial No. 300,410

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a device for actuating a toggle switch, and has for its principal object the provision of a device which can be quickly and easily attached to the toggle lever of a usual toggle light switch to enable a small child to operate the switch without climbing on a chair and without the assistance of an adult.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the device that it can be easily applied to toggle switches of various types and sizes.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be neat and attractive in appearance, and which will not interfere with the normal operation of the switch.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective View of the improved toggle switch attachment in place on a conventional toggle switch;

Fig. 2 is an inside face view of a toggle lever attachment employed on the improved toggle switch device;

Fig. 3 is a side View of the toggle lever attachment;

Fig. 4 illustrates a stamped blank of material from which the toggle lever attachment is made; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of an adjustable bridge member employed in the toggle lever attachment of the improved toggle switch attachment.

In the drawing, the face plate of a conventional household toggle wall switch is illustrated at it, with its toggle lever at Ii. This improved extension attachment is designed to be attached to the toggle lever i I so as to depend therefrom sufficiently far for a small child to reach.

The improved extension attachment employs an extension rod l2 which depends from a toggle lever attachment housing [3. The housing i3 is formed from a unitary blank of sheet metal cut or stamped with an outline as shown in Fig. 4. The blank is shaped to form a top portion l4, two side wing portions l5, and a front portion H6.

The wing portions [5 are perforated, as indicated at ll, to receive a transverse rivet [8 from which the rod l2 swingingly depends. Two spacing washers 26 are provided, one at each side of the rod I2, to space the latter in the toggle housing 13. The lower extremity of the rod l2 terminates in a hand grip member 21. The two side wing portions are bent, on the broken fold lines of Fig. 4, into parallel relation and the front portion it is bent, on the indicated fold line so as to join the two side wing portions I5. Each side wing is provided with an elongated notch I 9, and hooked key notches 20 which extend from the side of each elongated notch Hi.

The notches i9 and 20 are designed to receive a specially shaped bridge member 2|, shown in detail in Fig. 5. The extremities of the bridge member 2! terminate in downwardly extending hooked portions 22.

The intermediate portion of the bridge memher is notched with a relatively narrow notch 23 having two side shoulder portions 24. The bridge member extends between the two wing portions 15 and may be hooked into any desired ones of the notches 20. A set screw 25 is threaded through the top portion Hi directly above the middle of the notch 23.

To attach the device to a toggle switch, the housing I3 is passed over the toggle lever l l with the bridge member 2| positioned beneath the lever and the screw 25 tightened to grip the toggle lever against the bridge member.

For relatively thin toggle levers, the bridge member is moved upwardly in the notches 20, and inversely, for rather relatively thick toggle levers, the bridge member is moved downwardly in the notches 20 to accommodate the increased thickness. Narrow toggle levers rest in the narrow notch 23 of the bridge member. Wide toggle levers rest on the shoulders 24 of the bridge member. Therefore, means are provided for quickly and easily fitting the device to all conventional sizes and shapes of toggle levers.

It can be readily seen that a child may grip the hand grip 2'! and may operate the toggle lever I I of the switch by pushing upwardly or pulling downwardly on the hand grip member 27.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An extension device for the toggle lever of a toggle switch comprising: a closed top portion adapted to extend over the top of a toggle lever;

two parallel side wing portions adapted to enclose the two sides of said toggle lever; a front portion adapted to extend across the forward extremity of the toggle lever; a bridge portion extending between said side wing portions and adapted to engage the bottom of said toggle lever; a set screw threaded through said top portion to engage the top of said lever to elevate said attachment device on said lever until the bridge portion is brought into clamping engagement with the bottom of said lever to clamp said attachment in place thereon; and a depending extension rod hingedly mounted between said side wing portions.

2. An extension device for toggle switches as described in claim 1 having an elongated slot formed in each side wing portion; hooks formed on the extremities of said bridge member engaging in said slots; and notches formed in the lower sides of said slots to receive and support said hooks at any desired spaced relation to said top portion.

3. An extension device for toggle switches as described in claim 2 having a toggle lever receiving notch formed in said bridge member adapted to receive said togggle lever to prevent the latter from moving longitudinally of said bridge memher.

4. An extension device for toggle switches as described in claim 3 in which the notch in the bridge member is provided with shoulders for receiving toggle levers having a greater width than the bottom of said notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,580,905 Foster Jan. 1, 1952 

